Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen, Olympics Badminton Semifinals: Here's all you need to know ahead of the showdown

After his impressive performances at the Paris Olympics, Indian badminton star Lakshya Sen is set to face Denmark's Viktor Axelsen in the men’s singles semifinals on Sunday.

As the unseeded Sen faces World N0. 2, he has hopes of 1.4 billion Indians, who are anticipating a medal from him in this edition of the Games. The 22-year-old shuttler has become the sole hope after the exits of prominent players like Satwik-Chirag and PV Sindhu.

Sen and Axelsen have a shared history, as the Indian trained with the former World No. 1 in Dubai after being dropped from the Thomas Cup team.


Coach Vimal Kumar said that Lakshya gained valuable insights from the Danish star during their training sessions.

Also Read: Lakshya Sen scripts history as 1st Indian shuttler to reach Olympic men's singles semis

Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen: Head-to-Head

Lakshya will face a formidable opponent in Viktor Axelsen, who has a favorable head-to-head record against him. Out of their eight previous encounters, Axelsen has won seven.

Lakshya's sole victory came at the 2022 German Open semifinals, where he edged out Axelsen with a score of 21-13, 12-21, 22-20.

Their most recent match, at the 2024 Singapore Open, saw Lakshya narrowly defeated 21-13, 16-21, 21-13.

Also Read: Lakshya aims to dial-up 'Sen-mode' against Super Dane Axelsen in Olympic semis

Lakshya's performance at Paris Olympics

Lakshya’s campaign began with a dominant win over Guatemala's Kevin Cordon, but this victory was later annulled as Cordon withdrew from the tournament due to injury. In his second group stage match, Lakshya defeated Belgium's Julien Carraggi with scores of 21-19, 21-14.

He continued his strong form in his final Group L match, securing a straight-set win against Indonesia's Jonatan Christie.

Advancing to the knockout stage with ease, Lakshya first faced compatriot HS Prannoy in the Round of 16, winning decisively with scores of 21-12, 21-6.

In the quarterfinals, he overcame Chinese Taipei's Chou Tien-chen with a 19-21, 21-15, 21-12 victory to secure his semifinal spot.

Lakshya Sen vs Viktor Axelsen: When and where to watch

Fans can enjoy the epic battle on Sports 18 and JioCinema. You can also tune into ET's live coverage of the Paris Olympics to catch all the live updates.

The match begins at 3.30 PM